Page 21 of Hooked on Marshall (Hooked #9)

I’m still smiling when I walk through the door of my parents’ home.

Hell, I haven’t stopped smiling all damn day.

And it’s all because of Marshall. Not only because he’s now my boyfriend, but because he’s giving me the opportunity to do what I love.

All that on top of allowing me to spill my secret about what happened between me and Jonas.

We talked about that in the parking lot before I left and I explained that going after Jonas now isn’t worth the aggravation to me. But if he does manage to find me and try to convince me to come back to him, I’ll use it as my bargaining chip. Marshall didn’t like it, but he agreed.

“Hey, honey,” my mom calls out. “How did it go with Marshall? Did he like your ideas?”

“He did,” I say brightly. “I’m going to his place after I change to keep bouncing ideas off him and to help him settle in a bit.”

“You’re going to help him settle in?” she asks with a smirk. “That’s a little beyond the call of duty, isn’t it?”

“Not at all,” I laugh. “Wouldn’t you do the same for your boyfriend?”

She gasps. Then she jumps up from her chair and rushes over to hug me. When my grandfather walks in, he just smiles and shakes his head.

“Oh, honey, that’s so wonderful,” she sighs. “I think he’s a very good man.”

“Indeed, he is,” my grandfather chimes in. “And he seems quite smitten with you already.”

“Stop, grandpop,” I giggle.

“Just calling it how I saw it this afternoon,” he grins. “There was no mistaking the expression on his face when he looked at you. And you certainly deserve to be with a man who looks at you like that, Lana. Enjoy it.”

I give him a hard hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Then I rush into my room to change. I also pack a small bag with another work shirt in it and some toiletries.

Because I’m not fooling myself about what I want to happen tonight.

Before those short weeks of idiocy with Jonas, I hadn’t had sex in almost a year.

And considering my physical reaction to Marshall so far, I know that I’ll be satisfied when he takes me to bed.

And I’m very much looking forward to it.

Ten minutes later, I’m heading for the door. My grandfather doesn’t miss the fact that I’m carrying an extra bag, either.

“Should I tell you goodnight now?”

“Maybe,” I shrug.

He shakes his head. Then my father walks in the front door as my mother comes in from the kitchen. He takes me in and just quirks an eyebrow. I let my smile speak for itself as I speak.

“Hey, daddy,” I say as I hug him. “I’m heading over to Marshall’s place.”

“What for?”

“To keep working on my marketing ideas for the Alehouse and to help him settle in a bit,” I say calmly. “And to spend more time with him since we’re now officially dating.”

His face barely masks his surprise. Then he looks at the backpack on my shoulder before hitting me with a hard look.

“Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be sleeping over?”

“Ben,” my mother says. “Marshall’s a good man. And she seems happier now than she’s been since she came back home.”

“Last night you couldn’t get away from him fast enough,” he says. “And now you’re ready to shack up? What’s going on, Lana? I want to know the real reason you came back home.”

My jaw drops at his words. And my anxiety returns with a vengeance.

“I told you,” I choke out.

“You fed us a line, and you know it,” he snaps.

“Ben,” my mother says again. “Let’s talk about this another time.”

“It’s been over two months,” he says to her. “I think we deserve the truth.”

My father hasn’t been this hard with me since I was in high school. Which causes my anxiety to morph into anger. And the words leave me before I can stop them.

“Fine,” I hiss. “When my supervisor offered to help me prepare for a promotion, we ended up sleeping together. And not only was that against company policy, he was married, too. So, when we got caught, I resigned. Happy now?”

His expression has turned ashen. And I can’t look at him anymore.

So, I rush out the front door and run to my car.

I hear my mother calling for me, but I ignore her.

Instead, I make the short trip to Marshall’s house with tears streaming down my face.

When I get to his door, he opens it before I can knock.

As soon as he sees me, I’m in his arms as he carries me inside.

“Lana,” he breathes. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it together, okay? Just let me hold you. Relax and let it all out and then we can talk.”

His kind words and his strong embrace make me cry harder. Because I hate disappointing my parents. And I’m pretty damn sure I’ve done that today. When I’m able, I take a deep breath and sit up. Marshall gently brushes the tears from my cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I swear I don’t always cry.”

“It’s okay,” he smiles. “Because I certainly don’t mind holding you.”

I giggle a little at this. Then I press a soft kiss to his lips.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“You don’t need to thank me,” he says. “Just…tell me what’s wrong so we can fix it.”

“I don’t know,” I sigh. “I didn’t plan on telling my parents about what happened with Jonas. But when my dad started giving me shit about shacking up with you, I kind of lost it.”

He arches an eyebrow and chuckles.

“I didn’t know we were shacking up,” he says.

“We’re not,” I grin. “But since I was carrying an extra bag with me, he made the assumption.”

“I see,” he says.

“If you don’t want me to stay the night, that’s fine, too,” I tell him. “Since you didn’t even ask me to.”

“Lana,” he says softly. “I’d love nothing more than to wake up with you beside me.”

I smile wider at this. Then I kiss him again. Properly.